Xbox Reader's Vote 2001: Best Action Game

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Vote for the finest in button pressing and stick leaning on the Xbox.

By IGN Staff

When it comes to choosing the Game of the Year for the Xbox, you're only talking about the last six weeks of 2001. With some other new consoles, there won't be much competition for all of the 2001 game awards, but the Xbox had 30+ titles out there by the end of the year. All of you fast clicking readers out there have your work cut out for you, as do the editors of IGN Xbox, because the competition in several categories will be fierce. But that's what the IGN's Reader's Vote for the Best of 2001 is about, fearless expression of ideas.

Over the next several days we're going to unveil several award categories and the nominees eligible for those awards as determined by the IGN staff. You'll be able to vote for your choice in each of the polls or you can vote in our wonderful "other" category and email your write-in candidate to us.

Next week, we'll present not one but two winners in each category. One winner will be chosen by the readers and shall be known as a Reader's Choice Award winner. The other will be the Editor's Choice Award winner for the category. Not that we don't trust you, but we know a thing or two about games ourselves and need to let our opinions be heard as well.

In theory every videogame should be included in the Action genre because we're all playing them expecting some kind of positive stimulation. In many ways, Action ends up being the catch-all category for games that don't fit cleanly into other genres. But you should see a common thread in our list of nominees for best Action game. And don't be shy about submitting your own write in nominee and voting for "other" in our poll.

Air Force Delta Storm

Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release Date: November 15, 2001

Excerpt From Review: The strategy in Air Force Delta Storm is to choose the right jet for each mission because you can only pick your aircraft when you're at a base and you never know when you're going to be back to pick another one. In a somewhat confusing storyline and gameplay mechanic, you end up having to fight your way through enemy controlled areas to reach an objective where your mission actually begins.

Excerpt From Review: To say the action in Blood Wake is explosive may be a bit of an understatement. As you race across the sea on various missions for the Shadow Clan, most of your missions will differ in goals, but you'll always get the chance to blow opposing ships into itty-bitty pieces of junk. This is done with the various watercraft armed to the bow with torpedoes, water mines, gun cannons, and rockets.

Excerpt From Review: Finally. Someone out there, someone with a heart larger than Texas finally decided that people may want a party game without all the fluff. Fuzion Frenzy surpasses even Crash Bash in getting you to the games as quickly as humanly possible, always keeping you moving and playing, not watching and waiting.

Excerpt From Review: Pick up a passenger, and follow the arrow at the top of the screen. Drive over, around or through everything in your way, and drop them off at the right location, with a bonus for speed. You'll get a few more seconds on your clock every time you drop a passenger off, with the ultimate goal to rack up the highest score before your time runs out. You can learn the basics in 30 seconds, and get right to the gaming.

Excerpt From Review: The levels are also just as dynamic, filled with breakable objects and animated features. Volcanoes erupt, crocodiles snap at your tires, flames erupt from molten floors, and gravestones shatter under your tires. It's all as smooth and funky as the cars, making the whole visual experience a seamless one

Excerpt From Review: How you'll actually play Halo is a result of how your Mark V Master Chief is designed to function as a warrior. Your cyborg's limited cargo space is how things stay nice and balanced. Human weapons include a pistol, the assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun and rocket launcher. Weapons you can pickup from the Convenant include a plasma pistol, plasma rifle and the needler (a cool looking delayed reaction weapon that homes in on targets). Each has a unique rate of fire, ammo capacity and damage potential, which is important because you can only carry two weapons at a time.

Excerpt From Review: But in essence, Starfighter SE is the first Xbox game in the vein of Rogue Squadron, Battle for Naboo and Rogue Leader and plays as such. You have your basic escort missions where certain objects have to make it through safely, surface attack runs where certain installations have to be destroyed, and several variations of the basic space battle.